Term ends Mar 28, 2027 · Medium confidence
20-year base term ends Mar 28, 2027
Why Medium: The disclaimer's references carry disclaimers of their own not yet read (US 8,689,472), so the cap could be lower.
Held by Esco Group LLC
Filed Mar 14, 2014 as application 14/213,538 · Granted Nov 15, 2016
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2007
2027
Clock starts
Mar 28, 2007
Mar 28, 2007
Term ends
Mar 28, 2027
Mar 28, 2027
Granted
Nov 15, 2016
Nov 15, 2016
base term
fee events
Updated Nov 15, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 15, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) · how we know
None
Term adjustment
No prosecution delay on this record.
No effect
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,689,472, to Mar 28, 2027. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
2 of 2
Maintenance fees paid
Two maintenance fees can end this term early, the ones due 3.5 and 7.5 years from grant; the third one's grace period runs past the term end. This counts the ones the record shows paid.
13
Family applications on record here
Applications sharing this one's continuity chain whose file history this site holds. The family may have others.
This patent's term is its 20-year base term, with no adjustment for prosecution delay. A terminal disclaimer is resolved from the filed document, and it ends no earlier than this term, so it shortens nothing. 2 of 2 maintenance fees are paid so far. Confidence: Medium. from the record
How we calculated this date
One row per rule, each showing its own input and what it did to the date. A step we could not verify says so instead of resolving itself.
| Step | Input | Date after this step | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base term, 20 years from filing | Clock starts Mar 28, 2007, when application 11/729,502, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Mar 14, 2014) | Mar 28, 2027 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | Disclaimer resolved from the filed document (refs US 8,689,472) | resolves to Mar 28, 2027, no earlier than this term, so no change | Medium confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 2 of 2 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Mar 28, 2027 | Medium confidence |
This family
| US 7,882,649 | In force Sep 2028 | Sep 2028 |
| US 8,122,621 | In force Mar 2027 | Mar 2027 |
| Application 13/369,699 | Abandoned not computed | not computed |
| US 8,689,472 | Lapsed on the fee record Apr 2026 | Apr 2026 |
| Application 13/705,562 | Abandoned not computed | not computed |
| US 8,839,535 | Lapsed on the fee record Sep 2026 | Sep 2026 |
| US 9,493,930 | this patent Mar 2027 | Mar 2027 |
| US 9,816,254 | Lapsed on the fee record Nov 2025 | Nov 2025 |
8 of 13 applications in this family shown, earliest filings first. The applications whose file history this site holds. The family may have others.
Assignments
Assignment documents as recorded at the USPTO, oldest first, with the reel and frame each was recorded at. A recorded assignment is a filed document, not a statement of current ownership, and the absence of a later one is not evidence that the last one still stands.
| Recorded | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2014 Reel 32508, frame 304 | Carpenter, Christopher M.; Conklin, Donald M.; Bearden, James E.; Durand, Severn D.; Radzius, Dziugas | Esco Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 6, 2016 Reel 39267, frame 771 | Esco Corporation | Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent | Notice of Grant of Security Interest in Patents |
| Jul 16, 2018 Reel 46356, frame 64 | Bank Of America, N.a. | Esco Corporation | Release of Security Interest |
| Aug 17, 2018 Reel 46848, frame 493 | Esco Corporation; Esco Group LLC | Esco Group LLC | Merger and Change of Name |
Sources
Google Patents · The patent document at USPTO · Assignment records at USPTO
USPTO account required: This application in Patent Center · USPTO's maintenance fee lookup
Maintenance fee events come from USPTO's own fee records. Its fee lookup asks for the patent number and the application number.
Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.
Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.
What's changing
Mar 2027
Term ends Mar 28, 2027. No further fees fall due before then
Terminal disclaimer
A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,689,472, ends no earlier than this term, so it caps nothing.
Citations
8
later US patents cite this one
That is above the median of utility patents granted in 2016 in our data, the only group it is compared against.
How we rank
Every date shows its work: the base term, any term adjustment or extension, any disclaimer cap, and the maintenance fee record, each with a confidence tier. How this record was built
Computed patent terms end on the dates shown. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.
In force means the term is running and no lapse is on record. It is not a finding that the patent is valid.